You don't have to be an avid Star Trek fan to be disappointed by "Generations". The plot holes are obvious and disconcerting, the sub-plots feel tacked-on, and the characters are both thinly-drawn and badly-played by actors well aware of the failings of the script.

The original crew of the Enterprise are guests of honour on the maiden voyage of the latest ship to bear that name. But when they are sent to deal with a mysterious energy ribbon, Captain Kirk is lost in action. Decades later, the new Enterprise, captained by Jean-Luc Picard, is confronted by Soren, a mad scientist bent on destroying whole planets. And when the energy ribbon appears once more, Picard must seek help from beyond the grave.

"Generations" attempted to bridge the gap between the original "Star Trek" characters and the new series launched in the late 80s - to pass the movie franchise torch on to "The Next Generation". Unfortunately, rather than highlight the best of the two series, it merely exposes both of their weakest points.

The graceless ageing of the original crew and their self-satisfied ham acting don't sit well with Patrick Stewart's obvious intelligence and Shakespearean training - and make his reverence to Shatner's paunchy hack seem almost degrading.

And the ensemble nature of "The Next Generation" forces the film to try to incorporate sub-plots for most of the supporting cast, including a long and dreary plot involving Data's newly installed emotion chip.

"Generations" feels like three lacklustre episodes of the TV series mashed together with one of the earlier Star Trek movies. Devotees may find it necessary (if depressing) viewing, but there's little here for anyone else.